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शकुन्तलोपाख्यान (zakuntalopAkhyAna)

 
Monier Williams Cologne
English
शकुन्तलोपाख्यान
n.
 ‘story of Ś°’,
N.
 of
MBh.
 i, 60-74 and of
PadmaP.
 , Svargakh. 1-5.
Mahabharata
English
Śakuntalopākhyāna(ṃ), “episode relating to Śakuntalā.” § 133 (Sambhav.): I, 68--70: Dushyanta (q.v.) saw Śakuntalā (§ 134), daughter of Viśvāmitra (q.v.) and Menakā.-§ 135: Enumeration of the eight forms of marriage according to Manu. Dushyanta, during the absence of Kaṇva, wedded Śakuntalā according to the Gāndharva form, promising her that her son should be the heir apparent, and departing told her that he should send troops to take her to his capital. Kaṇva, by his spiritual knowledge, knew what she had done, and approved of it, and bestowed on her the boon that the Paurava monarchs might ever be virtuous and never be deprived of their thrones (I, 73). Śakuntalā, after three years, brought forth a beautiful boy, for whom Kaṇva caused all the religious rites to be performed, and who, when he was only 6 years of age, used to seize and bind to the trees lions, etc., wherefore he was called Sarvadamana. Then Kaṇva caused his disciples to bring Śakuntalā and the boy to Hāstinapura and introduce them to Dushyanta. Then they returned to the hermitage. Dushyanta feigned not to remember anything. Then Śakuntalā became angry (“But knowest thou not the Ancient Wise [muniṃ purāṇaṃ, i.e. Nārāyaṇa]
who lies in the heart? He who sins is observed by the gods and by him also who occupies every heart. The sun, the moon, the air, fire, earth, sky, water, the heart, Yama, the day, the night, both twilights, and Dharma, all witness the acts of man. Yama Vaivasvata takes no account of the sins of that person with whom [Nārāyaṇa]
the witness of all acts is gratified. But that person with whom he [Nārāyaṇa]
is not gratified is tortured for his sins by Yama… The son that is born to persons cognizant of the Vedic mantras rescues the spirits of deceased ancestors. Because the son rescues the father from the hell which is called Put, therefore he has been called puttra by Svayambhū himself… Even ṛshis cannot create creatures without women… ‘He shall perform a hundred horse sacrifices, ’ were the words uttered in the skies when I was in the lying-in room… Urvaśī, Pūrvacitti, Sahajanyā, Menakā, Viśvācī, and Ghṛtācī, these are the six foremost Apsarases
amongst them, again, Menakā, born of Brahmán, is the first…I can repair to the abodes of Indra, Kubera, Yama, and Varuṇa… The Pitṛs have said that the son continues the race, and he is therefore the best of all religious acquirements…Manu has said that there are five kinds of sons…”). Then she left his presence. But a voice from the sky commanded Dushyanta to cherish (bhara) his son, who should therefore be called Bharata. It was this voice of the Devadūta that Dushyanta had waited for, that the people should not regard his son as of impure birth. Bharata reduced to subjection all the kings of the earth and became a sārvabhauma-cakravartin, and performed many sacrifices with Kaṇva as the chief priest. From him has come the Bharata race, of whom the principal ones shall be mentioned (I, 74).